Justin Herbert is an electric quarterback who has seemingly willed the Chargers to any bit of success that was realistically possible given the circumstances he has faced so far in his career. That is a fact. The Chargers would be far worse off with nearly any other quarterback in the NFL, barring maybe a handful. That is also a fact.
However, Justin Herbert has failed to consistently play up to his own standards when things have mattered most in the NFL playoffs. No matter the circumstances he has been given, he has not matched his regular-season performances when the odds were stacked against him in those moments. That is, unfortunately, also a fact.
Chargers have made some serious moves this offseason
Joe Hortiz has not gotten rid of all of the “excuses” that have plagued the Chargers over the past two seasons. However, he has addressed some of the biggest problems the team has faced. Bradley Bozeman has retired and, in turn, been replaced by a more stable option at center in Tyler Biadasz.
Greg Roman was inevitably fired after the disaster that was the 2025 season and the Wild Card loss in Foxborough. A play-action call behind one of the worst offensive lines in football on a season-defining fourth down was always going to be the final straw. Roman had no chance to survive that, and he didn’t.
But the replacement that Hortiz and Jim Harbaugh brought in could not be more important. New offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel is now tasked with reshaping this offense and becoming everything the Chargers have been searching for over the past few years. Whether it’s creativity, adaptability, or simply putting players in positions to succeed, McDaniel represents a reset for a unit that has consistently fallen short when it has mattered most.
For where the Chargers have been over the past couple of seasons, and realistically for most of Justin Herbert’s career, the margin for excuses is shrinking. Barring something catastrophic in terms of injuries, Herbert has to get it done in the playoffs this season. There are no more layers to hide behind. He cannot take the field in January and deliver another lackluster performance. If that happens again, the conversation changes in a real way.
Justin Herbert needs to perform in the playoffs
At that point, where does the blame go? Do the Chargers move on from Jim Harbaugh and bring in yet another head coach, forcing Herbert into another system change? Or does the focus finally shift to the franchise quarterback? Herbert has had different coordinators, different schemes, and different supporting casts throughout his career. At some point, the results have to match the talent.
I am as much of a Justin Herbert supporter as almost any Chargers fan. But there comes a time when the excuses have to stop. With the changes that have been made to both the coaching staff and the roster, that time is now.
The Chargers will enter the 2026 season with real expectations. They should be a serious contender in the AFC West and a legitimate threat in the conference as a whole. If they cannot get a playoff win come January 2027, serious questions will need to be asked about whether or not this team truly has a franchise quarterback capable of bringing home a Lombardi Trophy.